On the Steps of the Courthouse
by Color With Marker
Summary: Post-Civil War. No one wanted things to escalate this far.


Tony felt all eyes on him as he stood patiently on his step, waiting for the SHIELD vans to arrive with Steve. This wasn't his fault, he forced himself to say in the mirror for the last three days. This was nowhere near his fault. He followed the rules. Steve didn't. Steve wanted to be Steve, meaning he was going to jump out glass walls and hijack trains and planes, and basically tell Maria Hill that she could go fuck herself if she even though about arresting him. Maria Hill and the rest of SHIELD didn't take that too kindly.

To his left was Sharon. She had her hands clasped in front of her and her eyes glued to the cement stairs. She'd been a hot mess since this all began. She was torn between siding with Tony or Steve, between siding with SHIELD, the CIA, and the government, or to become one of the most wanted women in the world. To think to herself _what would Aunt Peggy do?_ and have absolutely no idea what Aunt Peggy would do, because Aunt Peggy had been dead for the last month. The only good this had done to her was distract her from Peggy's loss. Tony was in the same boat.

To his right was Natasha. He knew this was difficult for her, going against her best friend and her new teammates, but her morals aligned with his more. She was the perfect teammate, too. She tracked Wanda and Steve in two seconds and almost wasn't caught (she had Crossbones to thank for that). She didn't tell anybody that Tony and Pepper slept on different floors when she had to stay overnight for an important meeting in the city (big, big risk that nearly gave Tony a heart attack), or that she found Tony drinking himself to an early grave after having another nightmare. Or that the nightmare was that this was going to end in one of them dying, and that he wasn't ready for that. She gave him a kiss on the forehead and carried his drunk butt to bed. His thank you was getting her to Bruce.

Sam Wilson was here, standing on the other side of the stairs. He gave Natasha one quick glance, clearly still conflicted on where their friendship stood at this point. All of their friendships were ruined, and only time would tell what would bring them back together.

Wanda stood next to Sam. She played with one of her necklaces absentmindedly.

Clint was home with the wife and kids. He and Natasha had a bit of a falling out over Skype a few nights ago that was so bad FRIDAY asked Tony if someone should break them up.

Spider-Man was absent. He was a kid and probably had school. Tony wondered if his school would watch the trial. It was going to be monumental, like when a new president was inaugurated. Schoolkids would be doing papers on this… this "civil war" for years to come. Absently, he wondered whose side they would choose – his, Steve's, or neutral with King T'Challa.

Speaking of the king, he was still neutral, but did wish them the best and hoped the outcome of the trial wasn't too chaotic.

Bruce was gone again. He promised to send postcards. Whether the promise was made to Tony or Natasha was anybody's guess. Maybe both.

Scott Lang, whom snuck into Tony's building and fucked up his security systems big time to keep him and the others from being found, was with Sam. Apparently, the two were close buds. The video of Sam and Scott fighting was uploaded onto YouTube by a SHIELD agent with an amazing sense of humor. Probably Natasha.

Vision had taken some hard hits during the battle and was recuperating back at the tower. He would come tomorrow to appear before the court as a witness. He was considered one of the few who would be completely truthful, and thus needed to be fully rested physically and mentally before showing up. Hopefully he wouldn't mind the many cameras and reporters in his face, like the dozens who are being held behind thick ropes guarded by SHIELD, CIA, and FBI agents. They all considered Steve "too dangerous for innocent civilians to be around".

No one knew where in the universe Thor was. No one had seen a hair of the god, or any signs of other out-of-this-world people like his friends or brother. The same could be said about Nick Fury, though Natasha said there was a good chance he would try reaching out to Steve at least once during this whole debacle.

Bucky Barnes was also detained. Tony knew Natasha was wracked with guilt over this and was grateful she didn't tell him about this. Not that he didn't feel bad for her, but he was the last person on the planet to give James Buchanan Barnes any of his sympathy. Not after what he did to his parents.

Rhodey was meeting with the president ( _the fucking president! That lucky bastard!_ ) to give a full report about the "civil war" that had taken place. Then his higher-ups wanted a few words with him as well. It sounded much better than having to sit through watching Captain America going on trial for his crimes.

Suddenly, Sharon's hand shot out and grabbed onto Tony's. Her nails dug into him, and he hissed.

"Sorry," she said. "I'm just so nervous."

"We all are, Share. None of us want to be here right now," Natasha told her.

"What's going to happen to him? What if they find him guilty?"

"I'm sorry, but he is guilty. He's going to jail," Tony said. "The question is how long he's going to be in there… or how long he's going to last." Natasha elbowed him in the ribs. "What? I'm just saying. The guy might look thirty, but he's ninety-seven. He's not the last airbender. He won't live to be almost two hundred years old."

"Shut up, Tony," Natasha scolded. She gave him a look to say that just because everyone was thinking it didn't mean that Tony had to say it. Saying it made this all way too real. Tony kept his mouth shut and squeezed Sharon's hand back. She didn't let go, but she did stop digging her nails into him.

"Christine Everhart is here," Natasha pointed out. "I heard she's a leading anchor for WHiH world news. She had a story on Scott."

"Is that right?" Tony replied. The conversation died there. It was too tense and awkward to carry a conversation. Tony checked his watch. Eight fifty-three. Steve would get here any second.

Sharon's phone beeped. She took her hand from Tony's to check her phone. "Maria texted. They're around the corner. She says not to look Steve in the eye," she informed them. She slipped her phone back into her pocket. "I wonder how he's holding up."

"SHIELD is usually kind to their prisoners," Natasha answered. There was a beat, then she added, "But this was a US government prison. I don't know what he might have gone through while in there. Anything can happen over three days."

Tony was thankful that the silence returned. He didn't want to think about any of the horrible things that could have happened to Steve in prison. Prisoners were ruthless when given the right motive, and to touch or cut or – Tony needed to stop thinking.

"Here they come," Sharon said in an airy tony, causing Tony and Natasha to look up. From two blocks down, they could see the SHIELD vans heading their way. The longest one was probably the one carrying Steve. Tony felt bile rising in his throat. He forced himself to swallow it down.

The long van pulled up directly in front of the courthouse steps. Two SHIELD agents climbed out of the front seats and walked around to the back. They waited for four other agents to appear before opening the door. They held out their arms for Steve to step into, and Tony understood why when he saw the two beefy arms handcuffed in front of Steve. That were changed to the handcuffs around his ankles. One of the agents had a taser (at least had a _visible_ taser, since it was likely they were all armed).

Maria Hill was riding in the front car, and was leading the way up the stairs. Two agents followed her, then Captain America with one agent on each side. Four more followed. Tony wondered why more higher-up agents weren't present. Maybe they would come later –

That's when it happened. The four loud shots that had Tony ducking and trying to cover Sharon, and Sharon and Natasha pulling out their concealed guns and aiming them at the roof of the courthouse, and everyone around them ducking as well. Tony squeezed his eyes shut and prayed he hadn't been hit. He thought that if anything, he'd be the primary target, and that Bucky would be pulling the trigger (you know, finish what he started on the family). But he didn't feel any pain or numbness. He felt fine.

"Oh, my god," Sharon said quietly. Tony opened his eyes to look up at her, but she wasn't looking at him. "Oh, my god!" She dropped her gun and ran toward the center of the stairs. Tony followed her with his eyes, then gaped.

Steve was lying face-first on the steps. Sharon pushed aside the other agents and flipped Steve onto his stomach. His hands were pressed to his stomach, where blood was seeping out thick and fast. Sharon removed her blazer and pressed it over Steve's wound. He held it there for her while she cradled his head.

Natasha pulled Tony up to his feet. "I can't see the shooter. Whoever did it came from the roof," she said. "I need to go after him–"

"No, Nat, don't," Tony said. Actually, it came out more like pleading. He didn't want her or anyone else going after them. They knew what they were doing, and they knew they could make their escape. The last thing Tony wanted to happen was for someone like Natasha to go after them and to wind up in the same situation as Steve. And, knowing Natasha, she wouldn't want company, and if she ended up getting hurt, no one would be there to help save her.

"Fine," Natasha said. Instead, she stood back with Tony as the scene soon grew chaotic between people fleeing and reporters and cameramen trying to get a good angle on Steve's bleeding self.

Sharon had Sam help her carry Steve to one of the SHIELD vans. Wanda and Scott joined them. Still, Natasha and Tony didn't move. They both felt awkward, despite being Steve's friend more than any of them were.

Maria Hill was yelling at people on the phone, likely agents nearby to hunt the shooter and take him down.

The CIA and FBI forced the area to be cleared. Tony and Natasha escaped inside the courthouse. Tony soon found the bile forcing itself through him like a freight train. Natasha rubbed his back as he vomited in one of the nearby bathrooms. She also chased out anyone who dared to enter.

Sharon called them. She only said the time of death (nine oh-eight) before choking up and hanging up. Tony splashed water on his face to try and force the paleness creeping over his face at bay. Natasha let herself shed one tear, and didn't bother wiping it away.

When they finally made it back outside, they were greeted with a bloodstain on the steps of the courthouse.


End file.
